


Flames

by Sekkaii



Category: One Piece
Genre: :), ACE IS THE MAJOR CHARACTER DEATh, Before Dressrosa, Death, FUCK, HIS, I just wanted to write Luffy grieving, I wrote "hopeful" wrong, I'm Sorry, I'm sorry again, LMAO, Over, at least this time is has a hopefull ending, i can only write tragedy, i'm still so salty, only to make things sadder, that says a lot about my writing skills doesn't it?, they're all mentioned, this is just a character study, what has this anime done to me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:20:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28967478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sekkaii/pseuds/Sekkaii
Summary: There were three and now there's only one.(Luffy character study after Marineford.Heavily based by the song "Homura" by LiSA)
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy & Mugiwara Kaizoku | Strawhat Pirates, Monkey D. Luffy & Portgas D. Ace & Sabo
Kudos: 21





	Flames

**Author's Note:**

> ENGLISH IS NOT MY FIRST LANGUAGE!! So if you see any spelling mistakes please warn me so I can fix them!
> 
> Thanks for reading and I hope you like it!

"Thank you" was the first word Makino taught Luffy and Ace in their "etiquette" classes ( _ if they could call it etiquette classes _ ). It was the word Ace would use to thank Shanks for saving his little brother all those years ago.

"I'm the big brother now" Luffy remembers Ace talking, poking at the old wound that Sabo was no longer there. "I have to thank Red-Haired for saving my stupid little brother."

Makino laughs, gives a joyful and fun laugh to each trial and error that the two have until Ace finally gets it right and Ace is overjoyed.

"I did it, see!?" He remembers Ace talking to him, a smile on his face, and a proud look.

Luffy remembers the second word that Makino teaches them.

"Goodbye."

Luffy doesn't like that word, it’s a parting word and he  _ hates  _ goodbyes.

"But that's an important word," insists Makino to the boys.

"It's not saying that you will never meet again, it's more like a temporary thing." Makino insists, knowing full well the recent loss of the two boys.

It's not forever, Luffy remembers years later.

So, he screams from the top of his lungs one night.

"Thank you!" He screams, to no one in particular, scaring the animals around him.

"Goodbye!" He also screams, knowing that it's not forever and that someday, he will be reunited with his brother.

He comes to remember this every day.

_ ‘It's not forever.’ _

The tightness in his heart will not last forever.

That's why he trains. This is something more important than his sadness.

He trains and fights every day.

Because he still has a reason to fight and stand up.

And all he can do is wait for those words to reach him ( _ them) _ from where he is.

He expects them to catch up with Ace and Sabo, so they both know that even though he feels like clinging to one of them and crying like he used to, he knows that this feeling will pass.

It will not last.

But still, that tightness in the heart and the urge to cry will only pass with time.

And he wants to have time to put out everything he kept in his chest.

To feel the tears. Feel the warmth they have on his cheeks.

And if Rayleigh hears him, he doesn't say anything.

* * *

Luffy remembers thinking that it would always be like this.

He remembers thinking that he would be with his brothers forever. That forever he would feel the warmth of Sabo hugging him, that forever he would feel Ace's hand ruffling his hair.

After all, his brothers were the strongest people he had ever met ( _ apart from Shanks and Grandpa, but we don't talk about those two _ ).

Luffy remembers imagining himself and his brothers together, sailing under the same flag. Happy. He remembers seeing them happy with him.

And then it wasn't like that.

Then, Sabo died, left him and Ace alone.

Sabo was  _ selfish. _

And he left these two idiot brothers who had no idea how they were going to deal with each other  _ alone. _

Luffy hates being alone and Sabo knew it and left him anyway.

And now, when he is alone and his only company is the animals of the forest and the sky.

Luffy begins to think he understands Sabo's selfishness.

He understands why he did what he did.

Sabo wanted to be  _ free. _

They all wanted to be free.

But then he was killed and didn't get a chance to experience the freedom he so longed for, it was taken from him long before he knew what it meant.

Those little moments he had with them were not enough.

Luffy realized that Sabo focused a lot on himself by leaving them alone.

Sabo focused on himself, not his brothers.

Luffy realized that he did the same thing. He focused on himself, he focused on Ace, the person who meant the world to him, the person he couldn't lose, he forgot about his other family.

It's selfish, but Luffy is happy that they didn't come with him in that war.

It’s selfish, but Luffy is happy that they are not here now.

_ Even though he is looking forward to seeing them again. _

He imagines that this must have been how Sabo felt.

* * *

Luffy remembers how he found Ace in Alabasta.

He hadn't seen his brother in three years, so his happiness was understandable.

And God, Ace was just as he remembered, from tiptoe to head.

They met after three years, and God a few minutes couldn't make up for that much time apart.

But they couldn't stay like this forever.

Ace had gone his own way and Luffy had his.

Different paths lead to different places; different futures, and for the sake of their futures, they split up.

Luffy thought that way and that's why he ignored the signs.

"He has his adventure." He remembers to think. After all, Ace wouldn't want his little brother to come to the rescue and he has his own crew. He'll be fine.

So he ignores all the signals and moves on.

When he comes back to himself on Amazon Lily, he remembers Alabasta.

Luffy remembers Vivi in Alabasta, remembers her despair, the despair of not wanting to lose anyone else.

It reminds him a little of himself.

"People die" He remembers to say.

"People die." He speaks, thinking of the blond boy and his determination to be free.

"People die." He says, thinking of his own despair of not wanting to lose anyone else.

He will  _ not  _ lose anyone else and because of that, he will remember Sabo.

Because of Sabo, he will remember to be free.

Because of Sabo, he will forever remember every dream he has, every new person that comes into his life.

Because of Sabo, he will remember how desperate it is to lose someone.

Because of Sabo, he will remember why he wanted to be stronger, he will remember to cry, he will remember Ace's promise.

But this time, it's not just Sabo, now it's Ace too.

And now, because of the two, he will live, and maybe, this is his brothers' farewell gift to him.

* * *

Luffy remembers when he was a child.

He remembers Dandan and Makino. Remembers Shanks and Grandpa.

He remembers to love each one of them.

Luffy remembers his village, his home.

It's nostalgic, he thinks.

His house. Safety.

Luffy remembers Dandan, after finding out about  _ his  _ death. Luffy remembers Makino after finding out about Sabo.

Sadness, he thinks.

Luffy remembers how angry Ace was. How  _ ridiculously  _ angry he was.

He was so angry that Dandan had to tie him to a tree.

"It was this world that killed Sabo!" Dandan speaks and Luffy doesn't understand. Ace seems to understand, however.

Ace screams and Luffy thinks he has never seen his brother so sad before.

Ace was indestructible, unshakable. Ace was the rock of the three brothers, he had no weaknesses, Luffy assumed.

And yet, Luffy could hear Ace crying, tied to that tree if he paid attention.

Luffy never thought he would hear that sound but here he was.

If Sabo had been here this would not have happened.

Eventually, Ace calms down and Luffy gets worse.

It was days, remembers Luffy. Days of him crying and crying and lamenting cruelty that existed in a world that he didn't even know existed.

It was Ace who found him on that mountain after reading Sabo's letter, which Luffy refused to read.

Promises were made and years later those promises were broken.

However, Luffy cannot blame Ace for dying.

Ace may have been a big liar but Luffy also broke his own promise.

Now he had regrets, something he promised he wouldn't have.

He was also a liar now.

Luffy, however, would come to terms with his lies.

He would come to terms with the fact that the world was never flowers.

He knew of the injustice that this world had, he just didn't expect it to be this big.

Luffy just doesn't want to lose anyone, and he will do whatever it takes to achieve that goal.

* * *

Luffy remembers the last 6 months of training in which Rayleigh had left him alone.

Rayleigh would go back to Saboady hoping that Luffy's team members would go there.

Luffy was alone, again.

It had been months since Luffy had a nightmare about Marinneford, he was kind of proud of that.

It meant that he was overcoming and overcoming is what he wants to do ( _ not forgetting, never forgetting, he will never forget Ace or Sabo _ ).

The nightmare was just more of the same.

He manages to save Ace, and that flame of hope awakens in his heart and he has a feeling that he has succeeded.

He did it! Ace was beside him and everything was  _ fine. _

Then the fateful moment where he is holding his brother appears.

And everything seems so real.

The weight that Ace has against his body.

The smell.

The despair.

_ "Please help him!" _

_ "Sorry Luffy, I couldn't even let you save me properly." _

_ "Thank you for loving me!" _

The _ blood. _

Everything was there, and he feels himself breathing too fast, and everything is confused and he no longer hears anything.

He doesn't feel anything anymore.

He doesn't even know where he is anymore.

Is it Marineford? Is it the forest?

He doesn't know and he starts to feel sick and suddenly

Nothing.

He wakes up and... nothing.

No fast breathing.

No chest pain.

It was just him... alone.

And everything was quiet.

No sword noises.

Or screams of death.

Nothing.

He hates silence as much as he hates being alone.

But he feels… better.

He realizes that he _is_ getting over it, just like he did with Sabo.

He would never forget him, but talking about him didn't hurt as much as it did two years ago, and... it's okay.

He couldn't be stranded in this pain forever.

But he still has Ace's wishes, his legacy to protect and he swears he will do it even if it costs him his life.

* * *

It was a roar, Luffy remembers.

The cry he gave was a roar.

And it was right in front of him when his world fell apart.

And left him alone.

There were three and now there's only one left.

But there was still a lot for him in the world.

He still had something to protect.

* * *

Luffy remembers being so close, he was almost there.

He almost did it.

Ace was there and suddenly,

He wasn’t.

He almost succeeded, but because of Luffy's future, Ace gave up his mark as a pirate and his own life.

And…

Luffy has never thanked Ace so much in his life.

He was so happy to be alive.

So happy to see his crew again.

So thankful to still have them around.

And all of that was so beyond his promises.

And for this chance to continue his journey that Ace gave him, for the crew that chose to stay with him for 2 years even though they knew about his selfishness.

For himself, for his dream, for his freedom.

He will continue and will never look back and this time, there will be no more “what if's” to stop him again.

And if he needs to scream, let him scream but let him also move on.

And now, at the Thousand Sunny with all his crew, he feels that fire rekindling in his heart.

He will continue.

Until he arrives at a distant future.


End file.
